Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 126-104 loss to San Antonio Spurs

Defending Giannis, Part II

One big reason why the Bucks were done in by the Spurs on the second end of their home-and-home set was their offensive struggles.

Save for a hot start, the Bucks struggled to generate the consistent offense needed to keep up with a strong performance from the Spurs and it all started with how the Spurs and head coach Gregg Popovich handed defending Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Much like they did Saturday night, the Spurs lined up bodies getting back in transition and to pack the paint in an attempt to stand in the way of Antetokounmpo. And whenever the reigning MVP would find a crack in the Spurs’ defense as he did end up with 20 paint points, Popovich was quick to call timeout and put a stop to the Bucks gaining any sort of edge or compiling any kind of run.

Of course, Antetokounmpo ended up getting his as he posted 24 points on 22 shots (0-for-5 from deep, 4-for-4 from the foul line), along with 12 rebounds, eight assists, three steals, two turnovers, one block and was a -2 in nearly 34 minutes of action.

But with Antetokounmpo not striking from long distance nor getting to the foul line to the same degree as he did Saturday night, San Antonio’s gambit in regard to their gameplan for Antetokounmpo proved to be the lynchpin to their success for the game.